People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 2nd. /News1
After President Lee Jae Myung posted a warning in the local language about scam crimes in Cambodia, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok stated, “Though this occurred in Cambodia, it was carried out by Chinese criminal organizations such as the black society and triads. If we are to properly address this, we should have confronted them in Chinese.” The president’s post has since been deleted.
Earlier, on the 30th of last month, President Lee shared an article from OhmyNews on X (formerly Twitter) stating, “Chinese criminal organizations in Cambodia are now hesitant to recruit Korean members due to fear of South Korean police crackdowns.” He added, “If you harm Koreans, you will face ruin—do you think this is an empty threat?” He also wrote, “The Republic of Korea does what it says. Until the end.” The same message was posted in Khmer, Cambodia’s official language.
Following this, local criticism in Cambodia emerged, with claims that “the South Korean president has stigmatized the entire country as a den of criminal groups.” The Khmer Times, a prominent English-language Cambodian media outlet, reported on the 1st that “many Cambodians expressed anger over the post.”
The president’s post is currently deleted. Kang Yu-jung, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson, answered a question about the deletion during a briefing on the 2nd, saying, “It is presumed to have been deleted after sufficient promotion.”
The post was reportedly removed after Cambodia’s side inquired with newly appointed Ambassador Kim Chang-ryong about the meaning of the president’s Khmer-language message. Ambassador Kim explained to Cambodian officials that “the warning was written in Khmer because criminal groups would not understand English or Korean.” A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official addressed speculation that Cambodia had diplomatically protested through the ambassador, stating, “It was routine communication and did not constitute a formal protest.”
